November 1, 2019 News by Iqra Mumal, MSc Study: 40% of SPMS Patients in Italy and Germany Unaware of Diagnosis A new study shows that 40% of patients in Italy and Germany who have Ā secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) are not aware of their diagnosis, indicating a need for significant improvement in patient-physician communication.
October 23, 2019 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD NfL and CHI3L1 Work as Biomarkers of Disease Activity and Progression in MS, Study Says The levels ofĀ neurofilament light chainĀ (NfL) and chitinase3-like1 (CHI3L1) in the cerebrospinal fluid ā the liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord ā serve as respective biomarkers of disease activity and progression in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study reports. Measuring levels of both proteins also helps to…
September 26, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS MRI Marker May Be Better at Predicting MS Disease Progression, Study Finds The volume of atrophied (shrunken) regions in the brain, as visible through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, can predict disease progression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research reveals. The finding was published in the journalĀ Radiology in an article titled, “Atrophied Brain T2 Lesion Volume…
September 20, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent’s Benefits from a Patient Perspective a ‘Key Question,’ Says EXPAND’s Principal Investigator The most recent data continue to support Mayzent‘s (siponimod) benefits and provide more insights on how this therapy can make a difference for those with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) ā in particular, data showing the therapy lowers the risk of becoming wheelchair-dependent. New results from…
September 16, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Mayzent Reduces Risk of SPMS Patients Becoming Wheelchair Bound, Data Show Mayzent (siponimod) reduces the risk of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) becoming dependent on a wheelchair, a new analysis of the EXPAND study shows. These findings further corroborate prior trial data demonstrating that Mayzent use delays disability progression and cognitive decline in SPMS patients. The results…
September 13, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2019 – Longer DMT Use and Female Sex Seen to Protect Against SPMS Conversion Women with multiple sclerosis (MS), and people who stay in a relapsing stage or use disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for longer periods are less likely to transition to secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) than others, according to a study based on the Italian MS registry. But patients whose…
August 30, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Higher Vitamin D Levels May Promote ‘Myelin Integrity’ in Progressive MS, Study Suggests Higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may help to protect the myelin sheath, slowing damage to nerve cells in people withĀ progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain imaging study reports. The study, āVitamin D and MRI measures in progressive multiple sclerosis,ā was published in the…
August 22, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Lack of Progressive MS Treatments Has Several Causes, But Advances are Promising, Reviewers Contend The complexity in underlying mechanisms, a lack of representative research models, and inconsistent criteria defining therapeutic benefit are the main reasons why an effective therapy for progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) is still lacking, researchers maintain in a review study. Nevertheless, as research continues to shed light on…
July 30, 2019 News by Steve Bryson, PhD Early MRI Screening Can Predict Long-term MS Disability, Help Guide Treatment, Study Says Routine screening throughĀ magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can predict long-term disease progression ā leading to more certainty and informing better treatment choices, a 15-year study reported. The study, titled āEarly imaging predictors of long-term…
July 17, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Phase 3 Trial of Ibudilast Planned for SPMS Patients with Inactive Disease, MediciNova Says A Phase 3 trial is planned to confirm the safety and efficacy of oral ibudilast (MN-166) in treating people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) without relapses, or those whose disease is not active, MediciNovaĀ announced. Data from this single Phase 3 study may be used to request…
July 8, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Mayzent Boosts Cognitive Processing Speed in SPMS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Data Show Treatment with Mayzent (siponimod) led to significant improvement in cognitive processing speed in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to updated results of a Phase 3 trial. Novartisā findings, presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) congressĀ that ran June 29āJuly 2 in Oslo,…
June 12, 2019 News by BioNews Staff Muralist Lydia Emily Uses Art to Publicize Hardships of Life with MS Perched atop a lift at the intersection of Main and ThirdĀ streets in downtown Los Angeles, artist Lydia Emily cheerfully answered questions from a reporter 2,500 miles away via cellphone while working on a mural three stories high. Periodically, she interrupted the interview to banter with co-workers, and gawking passersby.
May 22, 2019 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Simvastatin, Common Statin, Treats SPMS in Ways Distinct from Cholesterol, Study Suggests Simvastatin, a widely prescribed statin that works to lower cholesterolĀ levels, may slow brain atrophy and disease progression in people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) for reasons unrelated to changes in blood cholesterol, a new analysis of a Phase 2 clinical trial reports. These findings are in…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Scoring Tool Helps Identify Patients with RRMS or Transitioning to SPMS, Study Reports A newly developed scoring tool enables better identification of patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) as well as those transitioning or already diagnosed with secondary progressive MSĀ (SPMS). The research about that finding, āValidation of the Scoring Algorithm for a Novel Integrative Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) Screening Tool,ā…
May 9, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Mayzent Improves Cognitive Processing Speed in SPMS Patients, Trial Results Show Treatment with Mayzent (siponimod) provided sustained improvements and prevented deterioration of cognitive processing speed in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), regardless of their cognitive function prior to therapy, according to results of a Phase 3 clinical trial. The data were presented at the recent 2019Ā American…
May 7, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM ā Tysabri Lowers Serum Neurofilament Light Levels in SPMS Patients, Phase 3 Trial Finds Treatment with TysabriĀ (natalizumab) lowers the levels of the biomarker serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), according to data from a Phase 3 trial. Findings also revealed that higher levels of sNfL correlated with MS lesions and disease activity prior to starting the…
May 2, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell With an Autoimmune Disease, Fear of a Measles Outbreak Is Real Few things scare me. I mean, truly frighten me to my core. While I flee from bees and scream at spiders, I have been both stung and bitten. Scary movies, no matter how asinine, freak me out. Being alone in the dark invokes vivid imagination. Jason, Freddy, and Michael Myers.
April 10, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Different Ways of Working Tailor Mayzent for Early SPMS Patients, Novartis Says The effectiveness of MayzentĀ (siponimod) in both the brain and the body make it an oral therapy tailored for people with early secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), according to Dan Bar-Zohar, MD, top executive with Novartis, the treatmentās developer. Mayzent was recentlyĀ approvedĀ by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration…
April 4, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #AANAM – Ibudilast Slows Brain Atrophy in PPMS But Not SPMS Patients, Phase 2b Trial Shows Treatment with oral ibudilast slowsĀ brain shrinkage in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS), but not in those with secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to results of a Phase 2b clinical trial. According to the findings, this could be partially due to faster disease progression in untreated…
April 2, 2019 Columns by Ed Tobias Mayzent Joins the MS Medication Arsenal, But I Have Questions As you might have heard, a disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for patients with active secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) was approved a few days ago. That’s great news. A medication targeting SPMS is overdue, but it could be better. The DMT is Mayzent (siponimod), a tablet that’s taken…
March 28, 2019 News by Larry Luxner MS Patient Groups React Favorably to Mayzent Approval, But Question Therapyās Price Tag National organizations that represent patients with multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) welcome the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s March 26 approvalĀ of Novartis’Ā oral therapy MayzentĀ (siponimod) ā but they complain that, at $88,500 per year, the treatment is overpriced. The Multiple Sclerosis Society of AmericaĀ (MSSA) is clearly upbeat about the…
March 27, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD FDA Approves Novartis’ Mayzent for Relapsing Forms of Multiple Sclerosis, Including Active SPMS The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Novartis’ Mayzent (siponimod) oral tablets for adults with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), including clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting disease (RRMS), and active secondary progressive disease (SPMS). Mayzent was designed to inhibit the activity of…
March 20, 2019 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD SPMS Treatment With Mayzent Better Than Best Supportive Care, ICER Report Says Treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients with the investigational oral therapy Mayzent (siponimod) significantly reduced the risk of disability progression and decreased inflammation, compared to best supportive care, according to aĀ preliminary draft evidence reportĀ from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). The report…
March 7, 2019 Columns by Jennifer (Jenn) Powell My Second Act: Turning 50 with SPMS If a cat has nine lives then I have at least twice as many. One day shy of my 50th birthday, my mind runs a vivid montage of years past. I close my eyes and I am there. I feel a heavy melancholy as the movie rolls. I see…
March 4, 2019 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD #ACTRIMS2019 – Evobrutinib Significantly Reduces Brain Lesions in Relapsing MS, Phase 2 Trial Shows Evobrutinib, Merck KGaAās oral candidate for relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS), is safe and can significantly reduce active brain lesions overĀ 24 weeks of treatment, results of ongoing Phase 2 study show. Xavier Montalban, PhD, MD, withĀ Vall d’Hebron University HospitalĀ in Barcelona, presented the results in the talk āPrimary…
March 1, 2019 News by Jonathan Grinstein #ACTRIMS2019 – RRMS Conversion to SPMS Is Preceded by Spinal Cord Atrophy The rate of spinal cord tissue loss is a strong indicator of conversion fromĀ relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā to secondary progressive MS (SPMS), according to a finding presented at theĀ fourth annual Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum 2019. The forum…
December 13, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Lipoic Acid Supplements May Help to Delay Decline in Walking Speed in SPMS Patients, Study Says Lipoic acid (LA), an over-the-counter antioxidant supplement, helps to mildly delay a decline in walking speed inĀ secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS)Ā patients, particularly those with lesser disability, analysis of a small, two-year clinical study reports. No improvements were seen in balance among…
October 29, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD Blocking Molecule Evident in Excess in MS Patients Treats Mice with SPMS-like Disease, Study Reports Blocking a molecule that is overly abundant in theĀ nervous system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, and has been linked to nerve cell damage in animals, worked toĀ significantly ease inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration in mouse modelsĀ of secondary progressive MS (SPMS), a study reports. Treatment…
October 22, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Finding Best Treatment for ‘Right Patient’ and Progressive MS Among Work of Interest, Cleveland Clinic Doctors Say Tailored, highly effective therapies early in the disease’s course may be a way forward in multiple sclerosis (MS)Ā treatment, according to Cleveland Clinic neurologist Robert Bermel. Another neurologist with the Cleveland Clinic,Ā Robert Fox, talked about potential and upcoming progressive MS treatments.Ā In interviews with Multiple Sclerosis News…
October 17, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Blood Level of Neurofilament Light Chain May Predict Brain Atrophy in Progressive MS, Study Suggests Measuring the blood level of neurofilament light chain (NfL) may predict brain shrinkage in primary progressive (PPMS) and secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS), according to a new study. The findings also show that NfL levels are associated with brain lesion load in these patients. The research, ā…